The UK “will not be defined by the debates and arguments of the past,” Downing Street has said amid speculation about a possible youth mobility deal with the EU.
The government has faced pressure from backbench MPs to agree a youth mobility scheme as part of its “reset” in UK–EU relations.
Ministers have previously said they have “no plans” for such a scheme, but more recently appear to have softened their stance on youth visas.
Asked whether a youth mobility scheme was on the table on Friday, a Number 10 spokesman said he would not “get into the detail of the discussion that is taking place.”
He said: “Both sides are discussing a wide range of issues, which is entirely normal for any negotiation.
“I don’t think we could have been clearer that this is not about returning to the EU, but we will not be defined by the debates and arguments of the past.”
Questions about a youth mobility scheme come as The Times of London reported the Home Office was considering a “one in, one out” arrangement to ensure a cap on the number of visas.
Similar youth mobility schemes between the UK and countries including Australia and Canada place a limit on the number of visas that can be issued and restrict those visas to two years.
Earlier, Environment Secretary Steve Reed dismissed The Times of London’s report as “speculation,” telling Times Radio: “We’ve very clear in our manifesto that there won’t be any return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement, and that remains our position.”
He also said that it is “right” to say there are no plans for a youth mobility scheme, adding, “We’re not going to breach our manifesto commitments.”
Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto said there would be “no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement.”
Ministers have so far resisted calls for a youth mobility scheme, but it is thought that it is something the EU is looking for as Number 10 pursues a “reset” in relations after Brexit.
German ambassador to the UK Miguel Berger told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme that “we would like to have this in both directions.”
Earlier this week, more than 60 Labour backbenchers urged the government to negotiate a youth mobility scheme as part of the desired reset with the bloc.
In a letter to Nick Thomas-Symonds, the minister in charge of negotiations with the EU, 62 MPs and 11 peers called for “a new and bespoke youth visa scheme” for UK and European citizens under 30.
In their letter, the MPs and peers said any youth mobility scheme should be in line with the UK’s existing arrangements with countries such as Australia and Canada, with a time limit on visas and a cap on numbers.
They said, “A bespoke scheme would extend new cultural, educational and economic opportunities to young people in the UK without returning to free movement.”
The group also called for deeper collaboration with the EU on defence and a deal on sanitary and phytosanitary measures to reduce border checks on food products, both of which are in line with government policy, among other suggestions.
